Least effort job resulting in favorite look

[MisterGuy]

So when I bought this rescue, it had so badly overgrown and crammed itself into moss and bark mix it was growing in, it was basically just a tangled root mass with almost no medium left.

I wasn't sure what exactly to do with it, and what I ended up trying to do was basically turning the root mass into a "cork" at the top of a shaped vase, and watering it extremely frequently until the newer bulbs began to root up. I figured all the humidity would have to go past the roots to get out of the jar, and with frequent waterings that would be enough.

K1B_6705.jpg - Google Drive

This is a year in and I just love the way it looks. My only issue with it is that it wants to keep sending out new shoots and hasn't wanted to flower yet. Two of the bulbs look really good, and seem to be full size. Hopefully, it will flower soon. If you zoom in, you can see two things, the first being the root porn, and the second being that there's some kind of tiny little plants that managed to get seeds into the pot while it was outside this summer, and they've actually worked their way down and sprouted, and have created their own little terrarium spaces in there and seem to be living just fine. I'm thinking that indicates a pretty healthy environment in there with plenty of moisture and oxygen.

A couple of my oncidium types, including this one, want to send out lots and lots of new growth instead of maturing up and flowering the existing bulbs. Any ideas on why that may be?

[SouthPark]

Just check to see the orchid is getting enough light during the day. Adequate light level for adequate duration of time each day should help with flowering.

Also, the oncidiums generally expand outward ----- so the vase is going to put a limit on how it will grow.

[MisterGuy]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

Also, the oncidiums generally expand outward ----- so the vase is going to put a limit on how it will grow.

This is definitely going to be a problem sooner than later. As in, probably before spring, but we'll see how well it shoves the older bulbs around as the new ones grow.

I'm probably going to need to split the one I put in a fishbowl type vase soon too:


K1B_6722.jpg - Google Drive
K1B_6723.jpg - Google Drive

At least this one is happy enough to bloom, and let me see what I've got!

[estación seca]

They normally flower, once mature enough, on the growth that just matured, or is almost mature. If your most recent growths haven't flowered, it might not have recovered enough to make large enough growths to flower. Or it might not be getting enough light, but I think that's less likely.

[Orchidtinkerer]

well on the one hand I'm glad it worked but on the other hand it shows really what not to do. You need to smash both those vases and to me smashing 2 vases for 2 orchids in 1 year is bad growing economy.

You got the idea right but in future use vases with wide openings so the orchid can be removed again and seal in humidity by using some stones on the surface to trap humidity.
Pumice or lava rocks work well for this too and is my preferred choice.

[Subrosa]

Once you get past the need to see the roots you can start drilling ceramic containers, a much more enjoyable process than drilling glass ones!

[MisterGuy]

Originally Posted by Orchidtinkerer

well on the one hand I'm glad it worked but on the other hand it shows really what not to do. You need to smash both those vases and to me smashing 2 vases for 2 orchids in 1 year is bad growing economy.

You got the idea right but in future use vases with wide openings so the orchid can be removed again and seal in humidity by using some stones on the surface to trap humidity.
Pumice or lava rocks work well for this too and is my preferred choice.

If I got hung up on every glass vase I got from Goodwill that I've sent to recycling, I'd probably start having to count the number of orchids I kill...

I probably break a third of the vases and bowls I drill.

As far as drilling ceramic goes, the roots really seem to glue themselves to the standard ceramic orchid pots, but not the glass. Isn't that a problem for S/H ceramic jars? Those seem like they'd be impossible to repot.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Subrosa

Once you get past the need to see the roots you can start drilling ceramic containers, a much more enjoyable process than drilling glass ones!

heheheh .... true. If I hypothetically were to choose this growing technique, I would just be using plastic pots ..... ones with no drainage holes, except for the soldering iron holes poked through the sides.

[WaterWitchin]

I grow in glass because I like the way it looks, and can look at the roots... because I like looking at the roots.

If you're breaking a third of the glass you drill, you're not doing something right. I've broken two out of about a hundred now, and I'd never drilled glass before. Here's how I do it A way to drill holes in glass

If drilling a lot of them at a time, I have husband or grandkid use a pump sprayer filled with water and they spray intermittently as I'm drilling.

[estación seca]

Put the piece of glass under water in a bucket while you drill. Breaking while drilling is often caused by trying to go too fast.